Are coaches overrated?

Before you say it, yes, coaches have some impact over the success and performance of a club, but how much?

The general public have a right to think that a coach has more of an impact than they actually do. This is understandable, and there have been some incredible coaches in recent times (Al Clarkson, Luke Beveridge, etc), but are they the ones having a shot for goal?

At the end of the day, it’s solely up to the players to get the team over the line. After all, we’ve all seen games that have been won due to the pure individual brilliance of someone on the field.

With this, injuries and luck play more of a part to team success than one may think. Elaboration on these elements isn’t really needed, but is it Ross Lyon’s fault that the ball bounced away from Stephen Milne in 2010?

Key players in a form slump and playing half injured, people are just too quick to make the ‘sack the coach’ call.

Of course, without a coach there really wouldn’t be a team, especially since they are the ones designing game plans and making the tough calls. A good coach is as important as calling your mum when you arrive at the party, but the players are the ones implementing the game plan.

If Alastair Clarkson was coaching Carlton right now, would they still be favourites for the wooden spoon? Probably.

AFL fans are becoming more and more impatient. Collingwood were struggling under the weight of expectation in 2009 (Malthouse’s 10th season at the helm). They stuck with him even though they had every opportunity of getting rid of him at the demise of that year, introducing the succession plan that would take place once 2011 concluded.

The Pies famously won the premiership the next season, but would they have if they brought in a new coach? New coaches change everything; don’t underestimate continuity and consistency.

Changing coaches every few years (like Melbourne and Richmond early-mid 2000’s) will make your club much worse in the long run as it puts you behind the eight-ball. Winning just one flag in 10 or so years sounds unappetising for the avid supporter, but clubs make the mistake of sacking coaches too early in their tenure.

There are cases where a coach is simply just not fit for a certain club, but you must give them time. Overreacting is becoming the backbone of AFL.

Let’s stay on the Collingwood topic for the time being since it’s a big discussion involving them currently. Nathan Buckley is joined by Ken Hinkley, Rodney Eade and Damien Hardwick as the coaches under the most heat at the moment.

The Pies are 0-2 and Buckley’s coaching strategies have been a highly-publicised topic. Adam Treloar and captain Scott Pendlebury are two players who, since the Round 2 loss to the Tigers, have come out and clarified that the onus is on the players to perform at a higher standard.

Collingwood amassed a considerable 115 inside 50s in its opening two games, but converted that into scoreboard pressure just 44.5 per cent of the time. The coach cannot assist a player to kick simple set shots, it’s a basic skill.

The AFL is, and always will be, a game of physicality. But it has become more and more mentally demanding.

The way the game is evolving has also put unnecessary pressure on modern-day coaches. The old ‘stay at home’ forwards just don’t exist anymore, and if you’re unable to run excessively all day, regardless of how accurate you are, then there’s probably no spot for you on a list.

This then puts added pressure on players when kicking for goal. Sure, Tony Lockett and Jason Dunstall used to miss a set shot or two, but hardly a game goes by now where at least one team kicks more behinds than goals.

When you go back and look at the winning percentage of teams before and after replacing the coach, it is difficult to tell whether pre-mature change-overs actually benefits a club. Technically, the on-field performance of a team doesn’t majorly excel.

There are times coaches do need to move on, but when they’re half way to building something – especially those coaches with young lists – you have to give them a shot. Enough with the external pressure, let the season play out.

Clearly, there are more factors than just the coach that has an impact on an AFL club, and any sporting club for that matter. We’ll never know how much of an impact a coach really makes on the performance of a team, but it’s up to the fans to back in their club and be patient, your time will come.

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